I think those 2 are clearly different and in a sense this is just him doing a very, very lazy impression of his other films with a different subject. I know what you mean re the others, the realism, the goriness, etc...but these aren't done like those, or near as well.

From the get-go (spoiler warning) you have a German dentist who shows up out of the blue in the wild south. That such a character exists is in itself very strange, but guess what? He is actually a bounty hunter and needs Django for certain targets. The whole purpose of getting these targets could be played out very well and be a side story on its own (a la Kill Bill and Beatrix tracking down the assassins, where there background stories were explained)...but is done very lazily. In fact, there is hardly any story to them or any interesting plotline to capture/kill them. It is merely/mostly a plot-device used to connect the two heroes and that such an important trio is done and dusted inside 5 minutes is comical.

The fact that Schultz is German also ties in to the coincidental fact that Django's love interest also has a German background which gives them the convenient excuse to get them together to hatch the plan, when they're inside the plantation. There is literally no other reason for the love interest being German and the German myth is just an interesting story. That Schultz is in the movie solves a crapload of problems, too conveniently for my liking. Not only as some sort of outsider who frowns on slavery...but the very fact that he is willing to risk a ****load - his life - for a slave he just happens to like borders on the incredulous as nothing about him, other than this decision, makes him come across as some civil rights fighter.

Django becoming the ultimate gunslinger is also done in a ****ty, lazy way. He goes from slave to badass in 10 seconds. Contrast that with Kill Bill and how Thurman's character learns the deadly arts from Pai Mei and the whole story with that - or even how she goes to get the sword to kill Bill - which also ties into the Elle Driver story. The protagonist of this story is one of the worst constructed characters I've seen. He basically says nothing and is governed by one desire. Grows very little - his story arc is, again, lazy and unimaginative. He's basically the same guy who just knows now how to kill by being in association with Schultz.

And while this movie attempts to be like Inglorious in the way that it is supposed to be a favourable revisionist tale to appeal to a certain group (jews/blacks)... it is done in a way that has very little cathartic value. It is also done in the way that seems more like how a white person would envision a [black] person getting revenge - becoming a ****ing gunslinger.

Also, the audience already knows the morality. In Inglorious, there is no continuous big show/overly dramatic scenes trying to sell us that Nazis are bad. It trusts the audience to know that without resorting to superfluous scenes/dialogue and lets the movie be what it is: a cathartic vehicle to exact revenge on a coward who in real life committed suicide. In this movie, there are powerful scenes (the two blacks fighting) and then there is a whole lot of other dialogue which just seems wasteful. We get it, whites were bad, blacks are humans too (intelligent too). In Inglorious the characters were based on real people (of which we know their insidious backgrounds and want them to suffer for it) whereas here, there is very very little of that. Even Candie's (Di Caprio) character doesn't have much of a backstory, although I'd give that a pass. No other white character really gets built up enough so that you can't wait for him/her to be torn down to give that cathartic feeling.

The one character that actually had depth was Stephan (S Jackson). He was intriguing, even though he played a stereotypical uncle tom role, in the sense that he identified so much/wanted to protect his boss to that extent, that he'd go against his own without much thought. Ironically, the most cathartic device involved killing another black guy.

I can go on and on, but what bothers me most is just what a wasted opportunity this film was. Samuel L Jackson, Leonardo Di Caprio, Christoph Waltz...in a Tarantino movie. Watching it again made me even more pissed off. Did I mention the music choices were ****ing stupid? Rick Ross and Tupac? The music choices he made for other films (the Ennio Morricone scores) were far better suited to this film.

Art is subjective of course, so to each his own. Everything you listed above, save for becoming a gunslinger immediately, can be applied to both Kill Bill and Inglorious Bastards. I keep coming back to the fact that ALL Tarantino films have contrived and convenient plotlines. The characters are always way over the top and the protagonist’s arc is always unbelievable. If you are looking for realism, clearly Tarantino is not your guy. If you are looking for style, dialogue, and immensely enjoyable characters, then Tarantino almost always delivers, including in Django.

Quantity != quality.

EDIT: Incidentally, Leo DiCaprio is cod ordinary, horribly miscast as a 'diabolical/delicious' bad guy. Kenneth Brannagh in Wild Wild West schools him on this score and that's saying something not good if you're Leo. Tarantino casts well when it comes to people like him (slimy, grimy, sniveling and sleezy) but when it comes to characters who are supposed to be larger than life, terrible. Brad Pitt in Inglorious Basterds was a woeful choice, for example.

I had heard whispers about it, but not much...then I decided to watch "Grave of the Fireflies".

I don't think I've been affected by grief by a movie - let alone an animated movie - to this extent in my life. I cried a ****ing river watching this movie, towards the end. In particular - and I won't spoil it - when there is an operatic song being played with scenes of Setsuko. It is hours later and I still have a lump in my throat just thinking about this movie. Arguably the greatest movie I have ever seen, so full of meaning and it touches your core emotions and being.

There are some movies that will leave you changed, forever, after experiencing them. This is one of those.

I had heard whispers about it, but not much...then I decided to watch "Grave of the Fireflies".

I don't think I've been affected by grief by a movie - let alone an animated movie - to this extent in my life. I cried a ****ing river watching this movie, towards the end. In particular - and I won't spoil it - when there is an operatic song being played with scenes of Setsuko. It is hours later and I still have a lump in my throat just thinking about this movie. Arguably the greatest movie I have ever seen, so full of meaning and it touches your core emotions and being.

There are some movies that will leave you changed, forever, after experiencing them. This is one of those.

Yeah, its a stunning movie. Apart from that last scene you mentioned, it doesnt really hit you over the head with excessive, manipulative emotion like most movies do. That scene near the end when Seita cooks a weak Setsuko some food is honestly the most touching scene ive ever seen. Definitely one of my all time favorites

Incidentally,I saw both Grave of the Fireflies and another animated movie called Barefoot Gen, also about Japan in World War 2 in the space of a few days. Where Grave is beautiful, serene and filled with genuine emotion, Barefoot Gen is just shockingly ugly and disgusting. I dont think ive EVER seen such disturbing, graphic images in any other movie, animated or otherwise. I dont even think its a great movie, but purely for shock value its worth a watch

Yeah, its a stunning movie. Apart from that last scene you mentioned, it doesnt really hit you over the head with excessive, manipulative emotion like most movies do. That scene near the end when Seita cooks a weak Setsuko some food is honestly the most touching scene ive ever seen. Definitely one of my all time favorites

Incidentally,I saw both Grave of the Fireflies and another animated movie called Barefoot Gen, also about Japan in World War 2 in the space of a few days. Where Grave is beautiful, serene and filled with genuine emotion, Barefoot Gen is just shockingly ugly and disgusting. I dont think ive EVER seen such disturbing, graphic images in any other movie, animated or otherwise. I dont even think its a great movie, but purely for shock value its worth a watch

I've heard of Barefoot Gen, will give it a watch later.

And you nailed it in your first paragraph. Nothing about this film is manipulative to me. Although the emotional reaction you get is profound, it is reached by revealing the truth. I've done a lot of reading re the story (the true story it was based on) and it is quite harrowing. The little nuances in the story, the animation, convey so much meaning, it feels like a documentary. Like the scene you depicted. For the last 20 minutes or so, you have an idea what is happening; and are aching in anticipation. The scene that I talked about is especially poignant because of the music the returning family are playing - "Home sweet home" - and the juxtaposition is so saddening, even cruel. This movie has tonnes of those little, but very poignant, things.

One interesting and great aspect of this film: the start is the ending, and it is when you finish watching and re-watch the beginning that your heavy heart starts to rest easier. I've watched many, many movies - way too much to be honest about. And inevitably I've seen so many of the same kinds of stories, so many similar plot devices and tricks, etc that when a film is truly great (at least, this is how I feel) it really stays with me. It pounds me into submission into giving it so much thought and reflection. I've seen so many movies I feel it difficult to say "X is the greatest/my favourite movie"...but I think this is it for me. I think the fact that I have a sister with a similar age gap as the two children in this movie - and she kind of looked like Setsuko at that age - that it haunts me even more because it makes it even easier to put myself in their place. Although, having said that, it's hard not to sympathise with and grieve for them, regardless. This is a human tale.

"He's [Michael Clarke] on Twitter saying sorry for not walking? Mate if he did that in our side there'd be hell to play. AB would chuck his Twitter box off the balcony or whatever it is. Sorry for not walking? Jesus Christ man."

Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put it into a fruit salad

Also saw Argo and found it to be quite reasonable as well - not "best movie of the year" good but emminently watchable

Argo was a brilliant movie, but ruined by Ben Affleck's poor acting. He manages to direct so well, yet has zero expressions as an actor which is supposed to be his trade. Absolutely ****ed up the climax scene at the airport